baked fennel with garlic butter and vermouth
rating:
simple and delicious - would work really well with steamed new potatoes, I think.
serves 4
3 large heads of fennel
1 clove of garlic, finely sliced
3 large knobs of butter
2 wine glasses of vermouth (or white wine)
salt and black pepper
preheat oven to 220C/gas 7. Remove any discoloured parts of the fennel, then cut off the tops and slice lengthways finely, reserving the leaves. Sliced into 4 is best, but not vital.
throw all the ingredients - apart from the leaves - into an oven proof dish. Take a piece of greaseproof paper, run it under the cold tap, and scrunch it up to make it soft. Then place it snugly over and around the fennel (not the dish); this steams the fennel and bakes it at the same time.
cook for 20 minutes or till tender. Scatter with the fennel leaves before serving.
